Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-12-17
ORIGINAL POETRY.
A DAY IN 4 PRIMARY SCHOOL.

Imagination takes foundation stone
From out the quarrcs of the real and true
Then builds her fabric bright and fresh an,
new,
Without which strength, cen being, wer,
unknown.
And Thought builds up her structure, howe'e
rude,
OF fragments stronger than the common
clay
OF idle words and fancies born to-day,
That slip away and all our grasps elude.
So he, who speaks ofwhat he feels and knows
E'en little actions in a simple way,
Of earnest hopes that struggle day by day,
VIII find some list'ner as the story grows.
Whistles the first bird of spring, glad for all
the winter over
OF the blue skies and the sun, and the
sprouting leaves of clover,
OF the shadows on the wheat moving silently
forever
And the dancing of the feet of the sunbeams
on the river
Till into our very hearts creeps the beauty of
the morning,
All the dusty hooks within touching, gliding
and adorning,
Till all life glory wears. Listen to the
children coming,
Some faint air oil Paradise we can almost
fancy humming
Through the lessons softly COnncd by the
rosy cheruhs smiling,
Into dreams of tlowery ways all the peaceful
thoughts beguiing-
Thought of how before us lie plastic tablets
dropped from heaven
On which we may nobly write-such to us
the honor given
All our best and trueSt thOughtS-Write, and
they shall stay forever,
Craven as on marble hard, fading from the
surface never.
Dreams the teacher, fancy fair weaving
pleasant things together,
Links into a golden chain happy thoughts
and sunny weather,
Till--ah, luckleSS teacher hear how the
hum is swelling, swelling;
Ceased'S the air of Paradise in the fainter
numbers dwelling,
And the buzz now clearer grown. breathing
of the earth is earthful-
All the keys together struck, Sobs and sighs
and voices milthful,
Till bewiIdered head and heart, guilty for the
slight forgetting
That a teacher cannot dream, back to vigorous
work and getting
All the tangled chords to rest with "silenccn'
quick and awful,
And brow like thunder's self circumstances
make il lawfuD
Comes the teacher, wond' ring much how to
grasp the work aud do it,
So that mercy, side by side, walk with sterncr
justice through it.
Then commences for the day merry "a's' and
Tales Of Rob and Nat and Ann, and ncipicnt
ideas
Drawlcd with eyes half on the book, and with
mischief in them hiding,
Waiting till the teachers eye, round the room
moment gliding,
Gives it chance to hurry down, where it
rarely ever fingers
For moments space of time, to the rosy
little fingers,
Which, surchargcd, are never long on some
negative bestOWlng-
Such charge sends a wall over all the
schoolrOOm going;
Science all is set at naught, marbles fall toward
the ceiling,
Utter ignorance Of all gravitation's law
revealing.
Natural history receives some additions rather
murky,
Since "a large domestic foop' is the meaning
of turkey.
There Il tiny mother sits gazing on her book
demurely,
With a brown cloth baby tucked 'twixt bench
and desk securely.
So it goes The day is full Listen what
they all are saying,
Lively as the drops of rain on the roof and
window playing;
Teacher, please pronounce this word"
Don't you see how Ben is eating?
Said if should tell on him he would give me
such a beating.
"Charlies gone and got my top" "No, did
not set it spinning
Dropt right from my little box, fore knew
it was beginning"
ELLA says her throat is sore; may she eat her
piece Of candy?'
"Jim's an awful boy to-day better have
some switches handy
Talks SO much 1 cannot learn said | was an
ugly monkey
Just because l bit the ears off of his old
cracker donkey"
"Oh I'm awful sick to-day guess am the
small fox getting
Wont you please, ma'am, let me go down
there where Maria's setting?" ,
Cant | get some water now ?'' Little
Kate's nose is bleeding"
"Lucy has been mad with me ever since
said my reading"
All day long with smile and frown urging up
the path of duty
All the restless tiny ones who see little force
or beauty
In the units and the naughts, in the spelling
and the reading
Full of life, and fun, and play, often idle and
unheeling,
Often slyly having fun under study's mcager
cover
Always giving love for love, ''mca>ure pressed
down, running over, -
Strives the teacher with work greater than
thought can measure
Grand rs angels work might be-full of pain,
and full of pleasure.
From the west the sunbeams write on the
desks the evenings blessing,
Sunny heads and busy hands all so tenderly
rareSsng
Smiles take llD the place of frOWuS wipnr